Dispenser for collapsible containers



24, 1950 Hl LINGDELL 2,495,464

DISPENSER EOE coLLAPsIBLE CONTAINERS lFiled July 19, 1946 EIL-'51.2.

Patented Jan. 24, 1950 UNITED,4 STATES PATENT OFFICE DISPENSER ron ooLLArsIBLE CONTAINERS Harry Lingdell, Stratford, Conn. Animation Joly 19, 194s, serial. No. 684,659

This invention relates to a dispensing device for use with collapsible tubes which may contain tooth paste. shaving crearn, soaps, cosmetics, ointments and the like.

.A 4It has for its object to provide a'` means for dispensing thel contents of acollapsible tube easily and conveniently, eliminating the necessity of removing the cap froni'the tube, squeezing the tube by hand, etc.

,i It has for its further object toprovide an attractive container for the tube, thus eliminating the presence of unsightlytubes in medicine closets and the like.

It has as its additional object to provide a means for withdrawingall ofthe contents of the tube, which is thus more economical, since in squeezing the tube by hand some of the contents are frequently left in the tube.

With the foregoing and other objects in view I have devised the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification. It is, however, to be understood the' invention is not limited tothe speclc details of construction and Varrangement shown, but may embody various' changes and modications within the scope 'of the invention.

n In the drawing:

l Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the device;

' Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken substantially on line 2 2, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the device;

'Fig. 4 isa transverse section'taken substantially on line 4-4, Fig. 1. Y Y

i y The device comprises a back or base I0, at the lower end of which is secureda base plate or head II, having aseat I2 to receive the neck I3 of the collapsible tube I4.' The seat I2 is lined with Aa bushing I5' composed of rubber or other suitable material; so the neck I3 will seat securely in the seat I2 The back may be formed from sheet metal or any suitable material.

At the upper end of the'base It is a follower 'I6k provided with a transverse groove IT to t over the sealing vcap I8` of the collapsible tube III. The follower I6 has vertical sides I 9 to strengthen thefollower,` and has a vertical rear wall ZIL-the vertical edges lof whichY are bent inwardly to form vertical anges Zlywhich slide in the vertical grooves 22 formed by turning over the vertical edges of theback IB. The vertical wall 20 is slit and the Wall portions adjacent and on opposite sides of the slit are turnedY or bent for wardly to form a pair of lugs 23 to receive the pawl 24, which is pivotedrbetween them atk24a.. The lower endizoof the pawl 24 isadapted to 8 Claims. (Cl. 222-95) engage the teeth 26 of a vertically slidable rack 2l, which slides in a depression 27a in the base IQ and which when moved downwardly would thus lcause the follower to move downwardly crushinggr the tube 2t between the follower I6 and the head lI. The teeth 26 of the rack have straight or horizontal lower edges and inclined upper edges for a purpose presently to be deV scribed.

The rack 2l is operated by a lever 28 mounted on a horizontal shaft 29 supported by the vertical sides 30 of the head piece II. The sides 30 of the head Il also furnish additional strength tothe head II. The shaft 29 is provided with a pin 3l in an opening 32 in the lower end of the rack 2l so that by pushing the lever 23 rearwardly the pin 3i will draw the rack 2l down` wardly the distance between the teeth 2t or somewhat more, and thus pull the followery I5 down this amount to crush the tube I4 and force the contents of the tube I4 out through the ein` cular opening 33 at the center of the seat I2 in tho head II, A tension spring 34 attached to the lever 28 and the head il automatically returns the lever 28 to its forward position when the rearward pressure by the operator is re leased. Bringing the lever 28 back to its for ward position lifts the rack 21 and during this movement the lower end 25 of the pawl 24 slides against the inclined upper surface of thev rack teeth 26 so that it swings outwardly so as to slideby the teethz on the rack, 21, VThus the follower I5 is fed downwardly by a step by step movement through operation vof thelever 28.

The opening 33 is normally covered by a Cloe sure 35 comprising a disc shaped portion 313 and an offset portion 31 pivoted to the head piece II at 38, Fig. 3, so as to swing the closure 35 hori zontally backend from its position over .the opening 33. The closure 35 is operated by a pin or lug 3e on the shaft 29 extending through a suitable opening 40 in the offset portion 3l of the closure 35, so that as the shaft 29 is operated by the lever 2li it first swings the disc portion 36 of the closure 35 away from its position over the opening 33 before the rachis drawn down to move the follower I6 to press the contents of the tube [tout through the opening 33. Y

A cover 4I comprising a vgenerally semi-cylindrioalA shaped member open at the bottoni and at the one side is provided to completely enclose the tube i4, so the device is attractive when sup ported on a wall 48 by screws (not shown) through holesAZ in the base I0. The cover 4I is held in position by the spring action of its sides 43 which clamp against the head Il and the side edges of the base I0. This cover acts as a container and guide or support for the collapsible tube to prevent its bending side ways out of position under pressure from the follower I6. It therefore keeps the tube central and in an upright position during the material feeding operation.

After the follower I6 reaches the limit of its downward movement and practically all the contents have been removed from the tube i4, the operator removes the cover il then lifts the handle 43 on the pawl 24, withdrawing the lower end 25 of the pawl 24 from the rack 2l, so that it no longer engages the rack teeth 26. The handle extends outwardly of the pivot 24a so its weight normally holds the lower end of the pawl. against the teeth of the rack. The operator then slides the follower i6 to its uppermost position, removes the collapsed tube and inserts a new filled collapsible tube I4. The cover 4l is then replaced and the device is ready for use.

It is to be noted that various size tubes may be used with the device, the only limits being that the tube must not be so long that it doesnt t in the groove Il of the follower i6 when the follower is in its uppermost position, and must not be of greater diameter than will t in the device when the cover is in place. However, it is clear that collapsible tubes of shorter lengths and smaller diameters may be used without interfering with the eiciency of the device. The head or base Il may be provided with openings 44 to receive the reduced or shouldered ends of guide rods 45 which form guides and holders for collapsible tubes of smaller diameter to hold them upright and prevent the tube buckling laterally under pressure of the follower. The follower I6 may also be provided with guide openings d6 for these rods. Also the follower may be provided with an upright lug lil to carry a designation such as the word empty which' will be visible through an opening e3 in the lower front of the casing to indicate when the follower reaches its lower position and the collapsible tube has been emptied, to thus notify the user to insert a new tube. This makes a sanitary, easily operated device for feeding paste from the tube to a tooth brush, shaving brush or other device, or to the hand if desired.

Having thus set forth the nature of my invention, what I claim is: v

1. A dispenser for dispensing substances from a collapsible container comprising means for supporting the discharge end of the container, a follower adapted to press on the closed end of the container to force material from the discharge end, means for forcing the follower longitudinally of the container comprising a reciprocable toothed rack provided with ratchet teeth, a one way pawl carried by the follower cooperating with the rack for shifting the follower in a direction to compress the tube, a pivoted lever, and means operated by the lever to shift the rack to force the follower against the container.

2. A dispenser for dispensing substances from a collapsible container comprising means for supporting the container in an upright position with the discharge at the lower end thereof, a follower adapted to press on the upper end of the container to force material through the discharge, an upright reciprocable rack provided with ratchet teeth, a one way pawl on the follower cooperating with the rack to force the follower downwardly, a lever, a shaft operated by the lever, and a connection from the shaft to the rack to reciprocate the rack and force the follower against the container.

3. A dispenser for dispensing substances from collapsible tubes comprising a support provided with a seat to receive the discharge nipple of the tube and support the tube and nipple in an upright position, said support provided with a discharge opening from said nipple, a follower adapted t press on the upper end ofthe tube to force the contents from the tube, means for forcing the follower downward with a step by step movement comprising a lever, an operative connection from 'the lever to the follower, a closure normally over the discharge opening and pivoted to swing substantially horizontally across the opening in the plane of the opening, and means operated by the lever-to swing the closure from the opening prior to operation of the follower.

4.v A dispenser for dispensing substances from a collapsible tube comprisinga support including a tubular seat for the dischargeV nipple of the tube lined with a resilient lining of a size to retain the nipple, a pivoted closure over the lower end of said nipple mounted to swing across the discharge end of the nipple, a follower adapted to press on the upper end of the tube to force the contents through the nipple, an upright reciprocable tooth rack provided with ratchet teeth, a one way pawl on the follower adapted to cooper-v ate with the rack to force the follower against the container, a shaft, a lever for operating the shaft, an operative connection from the shaftto the rack, and an operative connection from the shaft to the closure.

5. A dispenser for dispensing substances from collapsible tubes comprising a support provided with a seat to receive the discharge nipple of the tube and support the tube in an upright position, a follower provided with a transverse groove in its under side adapt-ed to receive and form a seat for the closed upper end of the tube and press on the upper end of the tube to force the contents from the tube, means for forcing the follower downwardly with a step by step movement,

y a pivoted closure for normally closing the outlet from the nipple, and means operated by the follower operating means to swing the closure from the discharge nipple` prior to operation of the follower.

6. A dispenser for dispensing substances from collapsible tubes comprising a. support provided with a seat' to receive the discharge nipple of the tube and support the tube in an upright position, an upright` back member connected with said support, a follower adapted to press on the upper closed end of the 4tube to force its con.

tents from the nipple, said back member being provided with laterally 'spaced upright guides for the follower and a guide channel between them, an upright toothed rack mounted in said channel in the back member, a pawl on the follower cooperating with the rack, a shaft in the support, an operative connection from the shaft to the rack, manual means for operating the shaft, and a cover open at the back to engage over the back member and enclosing the tube to support it laterally during the collapsing operation. I

7. A dispenser for dispensing substances from collapsible tubes comprising a support provided with a seat to receive the discharge nipple of the tube and support the tube in an upright position, a follower adapted to press on the upper closed end of the tube to force its contents from the nipple, means for; forcing the follower downwardly to compress the tube with a step by step movement including a manually operable means, said support being provided with means for supporting a plurality of removable laterally spaced upright guide rods so located as to laterally support collapsible tubes of smaller diameters, and said follower being provided with guide openings to receive said rods.

8. A dispenser for dispensing substances from collapsible tubes comprising a. support provided with a seat to receive the discharge nipple of the tube and support the tube in an upright position, an upright back member connected with said support and having its side edge portions formed with upright guide channels. a follower adapted to press on the closed end of the tube to force its contents from the nipple and provided with side flanges slidable in said channels, a, vertically reciprocabl toothed rack between said guide channels, said back member being provided y Av2,957,311

with guide means for the rack,v a one way pawl pivotally mounted on the follower and cooperating with the rack to advance the follower on longitudinal reciprocating movement of the rack, ai' haft mounted in the support, an operative connection from the shaft to the rack for shifting the aclif. anda had lever on the shaft for operating it.

HARRY LINGDELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

,5' l UNITED STATES PATENTS f Number Name Date 'Q 976,945 stone Nov. 29, 1910 g @1,156,106 smart oct. 12, 1915 I? j115515599 Merzoian Dec. 18, 1928 26 31,959,099 cornell et a1. Mar. s, 1934 Puderbaugh Oct. 13, 1936 

